2. Designers: Ken Friedman and Vanessa Guilford.Project:Pod 39 Rooftop Lounge & Bar, New York.Standout: Brick archways and terra-cotta columns of the 1918 Allerton House by Shreve, Lamb, and Harmon infuse a sense of history into a new Mexican cantina.Photography: Annie Schlechter.

3. Firm:Stonehill & Taylor Architects.Project:Refinery Hotel Rooftop, New York.Standout: The interior of the space features a reclaimed wood ceiling from the building’s original water tower, a perfect balance with the exterior’s modern retractable glass roof and steel armature.Photography: Courtesy of Refinery Hotel.

4. Firm:BraytonHughes Design StudiosProject:The Dec, The Ritz-Carlton Chicago.Standout: A color-changing LED wave wall and a polished stainless steel sculpture by artist David Sorenson add a dash of glitz to this bar, perched 12 stories above the Magnificent Mile.Photography: Courtesy of the Ritz-Carlton Chicago.